A Twist of Faete
by Acrocera
Summary: After the appearance of a mysterious newcomer, the precarious balance of The Happy Sunshine Gang is upset. As they uncover a scheme with far reaching consequences, each individual is forced to evaluate their place in the world. Takes place sometime in the not-too-distant future. Doccubus endgame, with angsty nonsense in between. ;)
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I have returned to this lovely place after a very long hiatus. I am a huge fan of "Lost Girl" and I hope to provide you with a little entertainment! This story takes place in the nebulous future, at least two years after the upcoming season.

Feel free to tell me what you think! This is my first attempt at writing in the lost girl universe, so I can use whatever help you can provide me.

* * *

A loud, raucous belch tore through the silence that had settled in The Dal. Four heads slowly turned toward its source. Kenzi smiled impishly at the others and shrugged.

"Wow, Kenz. Just... wow." Bo couldn't help but smile at her friend.

"I've heard better from her." Dyson feigned disappointment.

Lauren rolled her eyes in amusement as Trick shook his head. "It's a good thing that happened before the dinner rush. I would hate for you to scare off my customers."

"I think your sad excuse for shepherd's pie does that well enough on its own, Trickster." Kenzi shivered at the memory of her last encounter with the pie. "Fae food. Worst dinner ever."

"Anyway..." Bo cleared her throat, pulling focus back on the case files sitting in front of the group. "It's starting to look like this is pretty straight forward."

Dyson nodded, looking from Bo to Lauren. "The autopsy report is consistent with my observations from the scene."

"Okay then!" Bo stood up and stretched; the buttons of her shirt strained to hold its contents. Lauren drank in the sight, swallowing unconsciously. Dyson shifted uncomfortably in his seat, suddenly craving a cold shower. Kenzi and Trick exchanged a tired look: The Triangle was back. Bo was, as usual, caught in the middle and refused to pick a side.

"I think we've had enough work for one day. How about a round of shots on m- " Bo's words were cut short by a great commotion outside. Something was slammed roughly against the door of The Dal, followed by a woman's scream of rage. Dyson was the first on his feet, followed closely by Bo.

As they emerged from the pub, a cloaked figure picked himself off the pavement and rushed after a running woman. He grabbed her around the waist with his right arm and pressed his left hand to her forehead, mumbling incantations. As she spun toward her assailant, Bo could see the girl was younger than she had anticipated. Her face and neck were covered in cuts and abrasions. She clutched protectively at the messenger bag she wore, her other hand slashing at her attacker with a small knife.

As the cloaked man began to regain his grip on the frantic girl, Dyson tore him away roughly. The two men toppled to the ground, a tangle of fists and growls. Bo rushed past them, toward the bleeding girl. Blinking blood out of her eyes, the girl finally noticed Bo. A look of confused recognition passed over her face. Before Bo could reach her, a black blur crashed into the younger woman, sending her careening into the brick wall of The Dal. Her neck snapped back and her head smacked into the wall with a sickening crack. Bo caught her as she slid down the wall.

By this time, the others had come outside. Kenzi watched Dyson grab the mystery assailant once more, holding him with on hand, punching with the other. The fighting men seemed to flicker in and out of existence.

Lauren, having the presence of mind to bring her medical bag with her, ran to Bo's side. She gently guided the injured girl to the ground.

"Is she ok?!" Bo heard Dyson fighting a few yards away, but couldn't tear her attention away from the bleeding girl sprawled before her. Lauren didn't immediately answer as she felt for a pulse. "Just keep her neck supported, Bo."

Dyson roared in frustration as he lost grip on his opponent. With one last glance toward his victim, the cloaked man vanished from sight. Leaving only a rush of air and a small pool of blood behind.

A soft whimper escaped the injured girl's lips as she felt a hand at her neck. Her ears were filled with a deafening rushing sound. With all her might, she tried to raise her arms to push the hand away, but they were too heavy and fell back to her sides.

"It's ok, you're safe." Lauren used her best doctor voice: authoritative but calming. "Can you tell me your name?"

The girl's breathing quickened, it was clear she was beginning to panic.

"My name is Dr. Lewis. It would really help me if you could tell me your name." Lauren raised her voice and put a firm hand on the her patient's sternum. She could feel her heart pounding.

Eyes opening with great effort, the mystery victim tried to make sense of her surroundings. "I'm..." she felt her awareness slipping. She furrowed her brow and clenched her teeth. "...Cal. My name is Cal."

Cal's eyes rolled back into her head as she lost consciousness. "Damnit." Lauren muttered to herself as she rummaged through her bag. She turned toward the door of The Dal and saw Kenzi. "Call my lab and have them send an ambulance, right away." Before she could see if Kenzi did as she asked, Lauren's focus returned to the unconscious girl in front of her. After asserting that Cal had a pulse, checking her pupillary response, and being satisfied that there was no immediate damage to the brain stem, Lauren assessed the rest of her injuries.

"I don't know if it's wise to take her to the Light fae compound; we don't know anything about her." Trick was visibly troubled by what had just transpired. He rubbed at his temple, watching Lauren work to save the mystery girl's life.

Bo felt a wave of anger wash over her. "She could die, Trick. Screw politics." Her attention returned to Cal. "Hang in there, kid."


	2. A Twist of Faete: Chapter 2

A/N: Hello all! Thank you so much for the loving reviews. Many of you wanted to know who Bo's endgame LI will be. I am most definitely on Team Doccubus, so, while there will be some angsty waffling between Lauren and Dyson, rest assured that Doccubus fans will not be wasting their time.

Again, thanks for the love! Always feel free to tell me what you think of things; I'm kind of learning as I go.

* * *

"Damnit, she's stopped breathing!" Lauren immediately began administering CPR. "Where the hell is that ambulance?"

Bo remained kneeling, awkwardly, totally unsure of what to do. She heard faint sirens in the distance. "They're almost here." Her voice was unusually timid as she spoke to the busy doctor.

Lauren responded with a curt nod. Her movements were quick and deliberate, but never rushed. Bo couldn't help but smile as she watch her work.

"What do we have, Doctor?" A fae medic hopped down from the ambulance, startling Bo. She had been so focused on Lauren that she didn't hear them arrive.

"Cranial trauma. Get me a C collar and a backboard. We need to intubate; she's unresponsive." Lauren looked up from her patient. She spotted an unoccupied medic. "You. Take over compressions."

Bo, having vacated her previous position, stood with Kenzi and watched the event unfold. The paramedics followed Lauren's directions deftly and moved with a well oiled precision, every action efficient and purposeful.

"What is that curved metal thingy for?" Kenzi squinted at the implement in Lauren's hand, excited to experience medical drama first hand. Her excitement was immediately extinguished. She gagged and rubbed her throat, watching the laryngoscopy with a horrified expression. "Oh God; that is so much worse in person. I think I'll stick to TV medical dramas. "

* * *

Bo, Kenzi, Dyson, and Trick sat around a table in The Dal, discussing the events that had just unfolded.

"I have an uneasy feeling about this whole thing." Trick bit his lower lip, he had a nagging hunch that he couldn't pin down. He pulled himself out of his thoughts to address Dyson. "Did you notice anything unusual about that hooded man?"

"Other than the fact that he kept winking in and out of existence? Not really." Dyson's brow furrowed. "But when I had contact with him, when he was trying to escape, it felt like every molecule in my body was just... stopped. Like I was completely suspended." His skin crawled with the memory of the sensation. "I have his scent though; from the blood he so graciously left behind. If he shows himself again, I'll know it."

"Aha! Yes yes yes yes yes. Who's the queen of sleuth? That's right. Me." Kenzi danced in her chair, displaying the newly unlocked messenger bag.

"Nice one, Kenz." Bo took no time in emptying the contents of the bag. She couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed with what tumbled out. "A couple of dusty books and an old pocket watch that..." She rolled her eyes as she flipped it open. "...doesn't even work. No phone, no ID, nothing."

Trick reached across the table and retrieved the books. His eyebrows shot up in surprise as he opened the smaller of the two. The symbols on the page were alien looking and unfamiliar. They seemed to be made up of crude wedges and squiggles. Setting the small volume aside, he lifted the front cover of the much larger tome. As he gazed at the page, Trick felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. "It can't be!"

The other three moved to stand behind Trick and look down at the book. The words seemed to swim on the pages. It was impossible to string more than two or three together before they vanished. The paper was a writhing mess of black ink.

"What in the what?" Kenzi whispered, awed by sight before her. Bo shrugged, utterly perplexed.

The color drained from Dyson's face. "Is that what I think it is, Trick?"

The Blood King nodded mutely, never taking his eyes from the tome. He began to turn the pages, his careful gestures turning frantic as each page revealed the same swirling text.

Bo's pulse quickened, she could tell something was very wrong. "What is it?" Getting no response from either man, she waved her hand in Trick's face. "What is going on?"

Trick closed the large book and sighed, collecting his thoughts. "This is a _Libro de Fato_."

"A book of the fat man?" Kenzi's eyes narrowed in confusion.

Trick rolled his eyes, too worried to be amused. "No, a book of fate. I've never actually seen one before. They are a thing of legend." His voice trailed off as he was lost in thought.

Bo and Kenzi looked with wide eyes at Dyson, hoping for further explanation.

"Basically, it's... um..." He shook his head, clearing the chatter in his brain. "Legend has it that the Fates use books like this to record destiny."

Trick's attention returned to the group. "Not exactly. The Fates weave the tapestry of life. One spins the thread, one measures the thread-"

"And one cuts the thread, yeah, I've seen 'Hercules'." Bo was getting impatient.

If Trick noticed her irritation, he ignored it. "But the Fates, the Moirai, have agents. These agents, the Epochi, are able to move through time itself to intervene on behalf of the Moirai."

"Intervene? Why?" Bo wasn't sure that she liked where this was heading.

"No one knows for sure. Some think that the Moirai can't be bothered to do it themselves. Others think they can't do it at all. I wasn't even sure that the Fates even existed until now; but it seems that both the Moirai and their Epochi are not a thing of legend. But these books are supposedly used by the Epochi to read the tapestry of life itself. They are said to contain the secrets of existence. They are of unparalleled power and value."

"I think I know why that girl was being chased." Dyson replayed the day's events in his mind. "She kept shielding her bag from that cloaked man. It's possible he wasn't attacking her; perhaps she stole something of his." He looked pointedly at the _Libro de Fato_.

Trick nodded gravely. "I agree. When you were struggling with him, you two seemed to wink in and out. That, along with your feeling of complete suspension, leads me to believe that he was, in fact, and Epoch. You and Bo should head over to the compound. If that girl was truly able to find an Epoch, let alone steal from one, we can't take any chances with her."

Trick caught Kenzi's wrist as she was about to leave. "Not so fast. You are going to help me with this." He held up the smaller book. "We need to understand why she was guarding this so closely."

* * *

Bo felt uneasy as she entered Lauren's lab. She had a feeling that they were missing a very large piece of the puzzle. _Cal recognized me. I know she did._ Bo was conflicted. She knew she should tell Dyson about that moment in the alley, but she wasn't sure of how it would impact things.

Lauren looked up as they approached. "I was wondering when you'd get here." She smiled at Bo, her eyes bright with excitement. "We were able to stabilize her on the way over. Once we got her here, she was already on the mend. Her cellular regeneration is remarkable. I've never seen anything like it."

"Great, that's great." Bo tried to seem enthused, but the gravity of the situation prevented her from being convincing.

"What's wrong? Is she in trouble?" Lauren glanced toward the curtained area of her lab.

"Have you taken precautionary measures?"

She nodded at Dyson. "I've kept her comfortably restrained. Until I was sure of her alignment I didn't want to risk anything. What's going on?"

Dyson hesitated. "We found a strange book in her bag. Trick is certain that it's a _Libro de Fato._"

Lauren inhaled sharply, alarmed by the news. "Is he sure?"

"We think she stole it. I need to speak with her." Dyson was growing increasingly restless.

"Of course." Lauren swallowed reflexively and gestured toward the curtains.

* * *

Cal awoke slowly, dimly aware of voices nearby. She opened her eyes and immediately regretted it as pain seared through her head.

The curtains were parted roughly as a tall, bearded man loomed over her.

"Who are you, and what are you doing with a _Libro de Fato_?!" His tone was gruff and his stance menacing.

Cal blinked in confusion and struggled to sit up. She felt a shock of panic when she realized she was strapped to the hospital bed.

"I... um..." She was having a difficult time gathering her thoughts. The tall man growled at her.

"Cal, right?" Her attention when to a brunette woman. _Bo._ The name echoed through her mind. "We need to know why you have that book. How did you get it?"

"What do you mean how did I get it?" Her wits were returning to her. "Where is it?! What have you done with it?!" Cal's eyes were wide, and the machine next to her began beeping loudly.

Lauren rushed in to check the monitor. "Dyson, Bo, back off a little. Her heart rate is climbing too rapidly."

"This is serious!" The man, Dyson, boomed at her. "Where did you get it? Who did you steal it from?"

Cal's mind was racing, she had to find a way out. She had to get to her things. "I don't know what hell you're talking about, you lunatic!"

"You're lying." He grabbed the front of her gown. "You've stolen from an Epoch."

Cal looked into his face, searching the yellow wolfish eyes. She took a few breaths to calm herself. There was no point in hiding.

"I didn't steal the _Libro de Fato_. And I haven't stolen from an Epoch." She closed her eyes, cursing the circumstances she had found herself in. "I **am** an Epoch."


	3. A Twist of Faete: Chapter 3

A/N: Hello, hello! The newest chapter is here. Look for a little Doccubus action near the end. After the plot is a bit more set, I do plan on delving into the romantic side of things, I promise.

Please let me know what you think of things! I love getting feedback from you wonderful people!

* * *

"I **am **an Epoch."

The words seemed to echo in the silence they had created. Cal opened her eyes to a stunned audience. Bo's brow was furrowed, working through the new revelation. Lauren stood staring at her patient, a hand covering her mouth. Dyson's eyes bore into Cal's, as if he was trying to read her very thoughts. He huffed in resignation and backed away from the bed.

Bo smiled hesitantly. "So... You're an Epoch? Neat."

Cal simply sighed as she closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.

"Does your head still hurt?" Lauren was back in doctor mode, as if the unpleasantness a moment ago hadn't happened. She received a nod of affirmation from her patient. "You seem to be healing quite well on your own, but if you'd like I can give you something to make you a bit more comfortable."

As Lauren calculated dosages, Dyson pulled Bo to the other end of the lab. "We need to take her to Trick."

Bo wasn't feeling the urgency. "Why? We know that stuff belongs to her-"

Dyson cut through her words. "Actually we don't know that. She could be lying about being an Epoch."

"God, why are you so agitated?"

"I don't know. But there is something going on, Bo. I can feel it. This girl is at the center of it. We don't know who she is or what she's doing here. For all I know, she could be a threat to the Light." Dyson's features softened. He put a hand on Bo's waist and leaned closer. "She could be a threat to you. You know how the Big Bads love to come after you."

"Mmm yeah. I'm pretty big and bad myself though." She traced his jugular vein with a fingernail, smiling seductively. He inhaled sharply. "But we both know I can take care of myself."

With that, she pushed him away from her and stalked back across the lab. "We can take her to The Dal, but not as a prisoner."

* * *

"Can I say again that I object to this outing? She really should be resting." Lauren huffed slightly, wishing that she had let Dyson help Cal into The Dal. The girl was tall, and heavier than she looked.

"I'm okay, doctor. Promise. But I think I can hear colors..." Cal smiled dreamily, slightly affected by the painkillers. "Why am I in pajamas?"

"Those are scrubs, remember? Your clothes were a bit blood-soaked." Bo couldn't help but laugh as she draped Cal's arm over her shoulder, taking Cal's weight from Lauren. "What in the world did you give her?"

Lauren shook her head, slightly bewildered. "Nothing special. It would seem that her metabolic rate is through the charts, which is causing the drugs to affect her a bit... differently. The good thing is, this should pass as rapidly as it manifested."

"I'm fine, really fine. I just need to coffee and have some sit. I mean, I need to sit and have some coffee." Immediately after Lauren and Bo lowered her into a chair, Cal felt better. "My head is starting to clear."

"Good. Then you can enlighten us." Trick approached the table with Cal's bag and a pot of coffee.

She took a few drinks of the coffee, using the time to collect her thoughts. "You know, it's bad form to look through a girl's bag."

Trick sat across from Cal, his eyes never leaving her face. "Perhaps. But it is also bad form to bring violence to a Way Station. Why don't we call it even?"

Cal grimaced and shook her head. "I'm sorry about that, really. It was never my intention to come here. Things just got out of hand. When he came after me, I just started jumping."

"Through time?"

She studied the small man in front of her. "Yes, through time. I was trying to lose him. When he caught up with me, I had just arrived here and was preparing to jump away. I knew he would just keep coming after me so I tried to run inside, to beg for Sanctuary. He threw me against the door instead. That's about the time you guys showed up."

"The cloaked man is an Epoch as well, then?"

"Looks like you have it all figured out. Now, if you don't mind, I'll be going." Cal stood up a bit too quickly. She steadied herself on the table and pulled her bag toward her, taking out the pocket watch.

Trick clenched his jaw. He closed his eyes and took a deep, calming breath. "It seems like we got off on the wrong foot. I simply want to understand, and to help."

Fear flashed across Cal's face, replaced almost instantly with anger. "This is out of your league, barkeep. Above your pay grade."

"Watch your tone, girl. Do you have any idea to whom you speak?" Dyson growled a challenge.

"Do you, wolf?!" Cal had had enough. "None of you have any idea what you are dealing with. I am the right hand of Fate, fools. Your Blood King may have dominion over most fae, but not over an instrument of the Moirai."

"So there is something happening then?" Bo put her hands up, wanting to seem non threatening as she approached the angry Epoch. "Look, we have a bit of experience with things 'above our pay grade.' "

Cal raked a hand through her brown hair and groaned in frustration. Something felt off. She had to get back to her task. Ignoring Bo's approach, she flipped open the pocket watch and gathered her thoughts. She pulled the crown of the watch into its middle position and turned it.

Cal's eyes darted around in panic. She was still there. She hadn't moved. She took a deep breath and tried the watch again. Nothing happened.

"Is it broken?" Bo's laid a gentle hand on Cal's arm, sending waves of energy through her.

"It's not the watch." Cal stared at Bo, close to being overcome by sudden lust. "It only focuses my abilities. Something is wrong with me."

"Tell me more." Cal seemed to struggle out of Bo's influence and tried to step away. She redoubled her efforts.

"Holy hell, you're strong." She was fighting the waves of pleasure radiating from Bo, but she knew she had lost the upper hand. " I don't think I can jump. Something has interrupted my connection to the Fates. I'm stuck."

Bo relinquished her hold, feeling a bit drained. "Are you a threat to us?"

Cal shook her head. "I'm actually one of the good guys. I can't go into it right now, but there is something big happening. I don't really know what it is, exactly, but I know it's bad." She leaned her back against the nearby column, still reeling from Bo's touch.

"Look, I know you're all 'Right Hand of Fate' or whatever, but we've taken down some nasty shit." Kenzi, having been unusually silent until now, approached Cal. "We're kind of a big deal, and we can totally handle ourselves."

Cal looked around warily and was met with determined faces. "Okay. Fine."

Trick let out a sigh of relief. He addressed Cal warmly. "You know that I'm The Blood King, but people around here just know me as Trick, keeper of this Way Station." He gestured, in turn, to the others in the room. "This is Kenzi, Lauren, Dyson, and Bo."

Cal nodded to her new acquaintances. "I'm Cal. If I'm going to be working with you all, I have to be honest." She turned to Bo. "I know who you are."

"I thought you recognized me. You seemed surprised when I came outside." Bo felt a mixture of relief and apprehension.

"You're a major player. I won't say how or why, so don't ask me." Cal shot a look at Kenzi, who feigned innocence. "All I can say is that something is influencing the Moirai, altering the path of destiny. I've been trying to figure out what it is, but I don't know what I'm dealing with."

"Don't you Epochs do that all the time though? Intervene for the Fates?"

"_Epochi_." Cal corrected Bo. "And no, not exactly. Destiny has a path, like I said. We don't change it, we just ensure that it's followed. What is happening is unlike anything I've experienced. My connection with the Fates has been interrupted." She paused, searching for a metaphor that would illustrate her point.

"Think of existence like a road. Along that road are major landmarks. These are major events in history, both human and fae. Basically, something is causing the road to wind differently. I can tell that there's a divergence, but the new path is unclear. I can't see it. Something is trying to alter destiny itself, by changing the path it takes." Cal walked back to the table holding her coffee and sat down, laying her head in her arms.

"Oh shit." Kenzi flopped into the chair beside Cal's. "Forget the coffee, Trickster. I think we need something a tad stronger."

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Dyson looked past Bo and into the living room of the Crack Shack. "She would be perfectly safe at the Light compound."

Cal sat on the couch with Kenzi, sipping on some whiskey that had mysteriously followed them from The Dal.

"Not a chance. She needs to stay as far away from fae-land as possible. We need to keep her hidden until we know what we're up against. There's no way of knowing what some A-hole fae elder would do if they got their hands on her." Bo guided Dyson closer to the door.

He turned again to the living room, his eyes falling on Lauren. She was oblivious to her surroundings, absorbed by something on her laptop.

Bo followed his gaze and sighed. "No jealousy, remember? That was our deal." She stroked his face and smiled at him fondly. "You both promised; no strings for anyone."

"I know." Dyson kissed Bo's forehead, cursing the arrangement he found himself in. "Stay safe. I'll be with Trick, processing this mess."

Bo returned to the living room and perched on the couch's arm next to Kenzi. "How is it that Trick's best bottles always end up here?"

"You know, I was just asking myself the same thing." Kenzi looked at the bottle in her hand as if she just realized it was there.

Bo pulled the expensive single malt from her friend's grasp. "It's going back tomorrow."

"But it loves me!" Kenzi pouted, giving Bo her best sad puppy dog eyes.

"And I think it is time for bed. Cal looks pretty pooped." Bo nodded at their newest companion, fast asleep, still holding her glass of liquor.

"What a champ. Doesn't spill a drop! I knew I liked her." Kenzi gingerly plucked the glass from Cal's hand and danced lightly into her bedroom. "Night y'all!"

Lauren looked up from her laptop, having been totally absorbed by the article she was reading. "Is it really that late? I should be going." She stood up and began to put her laptop away.

"You don't have to go, you know." Bo came up behind Lauren and slid her arms around her waist. "You could stay." She brushed the blonde hair aside and kissed Lauren's neck.

"Mmhmm." Lauren had never been very good at saying "no" to Bo. "I guess I should be nearby, in the event my patient needs something."

"Yeah, your patient." Bo turned Lauren around to face her and slid a hand into her front pocket, pulling her toward the stairs.

"Also, you exerted yourself a bit earlier." Lauren felt her face flush as her pulse quickened. "You really should recharge."

Bo nodded as she pulled Lauren into a hungry kiss. "Upstairs. Now." Lauren's tone was urgent and commanding. She grabbed Bo's hand and pulled her up the steps.

"Whatever you say, doctor."


	4. A Twist of Faete: Chapter 4

A/N: I have not forgotten this project; I have merely had a very busy November. This chapter is all Doccubus, they deserve a little attention, don't they? I hope you guys enjoy!

Also, are you watching the new season? I have so many feelings about it... mostly happy, though!

Please feel free to give me any/all feedback! I do love hearing from you sexy, sexy, internet people.

* * *

Lauren awoke to the sound of running water and humming. She stretched contentedly, not having to open her eyes to remember where she was. Her night with Bo had been... eventful to say the least.

_Hungry kisses. Stifled moans. Hands clutching sheets. Fingernails raking down backs. Biting collar bones. Bodies aflame. Cries of ecstasy. _

She smiled lazily as she replayed the previous night's activities, but a stray thought flashed through her mind, interrupting the pleasant thoughts.

_No strings. _

Lauren hated the arrangement; she was a committed, monogamous, person. The thought of sharing Bo with anyone was difficult enough to swallow, but Dyson... that was nearly unbearable. She groaned and rolled over, burying her head in the pillows on Bo's bed, noting that the sheets still smelled of sex.

_I hope she washed these after __**he**__ left. _

But she couldn't be vocal about her displeasure with the current circumstances; after all, it had been her idea. The dynamic between the three of them had reached an unhealthy boiling point. She and Dyson couldn't be in the same room, let alone work together. Bo couldn't mention one to the other. They had spent months experimenting with "everyone be friends, not lovers" before realizing that platonic relationships with Bo were simply not an option at this point. Neither could stand to be without her.

Bo, for her part, had behaved perfectly: no teasing, no innuendo. She took her "meals" elsewhere. As much as it pained her, she endured for their sake. When tensions would run high between Dyson and Lauren, Bo did her best to make peace between them, but it was no use.

Eventually, the powder keg of emotion exploded at The Dal. Lauren and Dyson had it out. All of their pent-up feelings and fears, dislikes and mistrusts, came crashing out in a single moment, leaving them both weary and defeated. No one won that day.

After a round of drinks to calm the nerves, Lauren had proposed a solution: they would enter into a non-committed arrangement. Bo would split her time between the two as she saw fit. All parties were free to pursue others at their own discretion. Feelings were not to be denied, but could not be used for leverage: they both loved Bo, who loved them both in return. No strings; for anyone. Bo did have the decency to protest, but she had been overruled. The terms were set.

So far, it had proven to be effective, but precarious. Lauren and Dyson returned to chilly professionalism, and the group was once again able to function. Bo found herself completely sated for the first time in a very, very long time. Anytime either Dyson or Lauren felt frustrated with the situation, they let off the steam in bed. It was not, however, a permanent solution, and everyone knew it.

* * *

Lauren returned to the present as her attention was drawn, once again to the bathroom, where she could hear light splashing. She smiled at the thought of Bo in the tub. Slipping noiselessly out of bed, she tiptoed across the room, avoiding the squeakiest floorboards. As she peered around the edge of the door, she could see Bo's attention was on the running water, adjusting the temperature to her exact specifications. Biting her lip, Lauren approached the tub silently. She knew she would have to play this next moment very carefully, lest Bo's warrior reflexes take over.

Crouching behind the tub, Lauren ran her hands down the length of Bo's arms and intertwined their fingers. She peppered her neck with light kisses and bites.

Bo arched her neck, exposing it to Lauren's ministrations. "Good morning to you too, Doctor. Care to join me?"

Lauren's hands traveled back up Bo's arms and then down her torso, disappearing under the surface of the water, teasing, before returning to rest on her shoulders. "I would love to join you."

She pushed at Bo's shoulders lightly to move her forward before climbing in behind her. She wrapped her arms around the woman she loved and kissed her temple, hugging her close. Thoughts of the "arrangement" were forgotten for the moment; all that existed was Bo.


	5. A Twist of Faete: Chapter 5

A/N: The saga continues! Thank you so much for the thoughtful feedback! I really, really love hearing from you guys! Please, keep the comments coming; I am a glutton for reviews. :)

* * *

Cal rubbed her eyes; she had been awake since sunrise. For the last few hours, she had tried like mad to find the answers to her predicament, but she only had more questions. Cal could no longer physically move through time, she could only enter the Epoch's Trance. She knew she was Tethered. Shackled. It was something she would have to deal with later. For now, she needed to understand.

She had seen glimpses of Bo's future. She saw the demolition of the Clans. No more Light; no more Dark. This would be Bo's doing; Cal was sure of it. After a great struggle there would be a calm. A happiness. Peace. She followed Bo's thread further, seeing flashes of her future: the adoration of millions, the relinquishing of power, the pain of loss, and the birth of a child.

These flashes of things yet to come were without context, and therefore confusing to Cal, so she worked backwards. Focusing on times nearing the time she found herself in. But, as she had moved from far in the future to the present, things had become more cloudy.

She had been staring at her book of swirling text and entering trances for ages, but she was tired of the mystery. She was itching for a distraction. Her eyes fell to Lauren's bag. She remembered watching the doctor use a sleek computer. Cal hadn't used a computer for the better part of two decades, but, she figured they couldn't have changed that much.

Boy, was she wrong. Upon lifting the lid, Cal was shocked by the colors that greeted her on the thin screen. _I really need to pay more attention to technological progress..._ There were tiny pictures lining the bottom of the screen, and the background... The background! She could hardly believe what she was seeing. She had never seen such color and clarity in real life, let alone on a computer. Reverently, she stroked the smooth metal of the laptop, which in turn caused the mouse to move across the screen. Cal looked more closely at the lower portion of the computer, noticing a slightly recessed area. As she rubbed her finger across it, she noticed that the little arrow moved around the screen in accordance with her motions. She grinned, marveling at human ingenuity.

As Cal studied the desktop of Lauren's Mac, she was drawn to two tiny eighth notes in a blue circle. She had always been a music fan and correctly guessed that the minute icon had something to do with music. She moved the pointer to rest over the music notes and waited. Nothing happened. Frustrated, Cal pressed hard on the touchpad, accidentally opening Lauren's iTunes. Cal was overwhelmed by the musical selections before her. An enormous list of songs by artists she had never heard of grew un front of her eyes.

_The last time I heard human music, I was at Woodstock... I wonder if the human doctor likes Jefferson Airplane...?_

Cal noticed a word, "Favorites" listed under a category called "Playlists."

_Ok doc, let's see what you're into._

Feeling bold, she rummaged through Lauren's bag, searching for headphones (those she remembered well). After all, it was rather early. No need to wake the rest of the house. What she found were tiny white devices that, while looking nothing like the over-the-ear contraptions she remembered, had the very same jack attached to them. She was able to find the headphone input easily enough and plugged them in. After placing the buds in her ears (because, where else would they go?) Cal moved the mouse over "Favorites" and pressed it again.

The first notes Cal heard were sung by Lauryn Hill, and she didn't think she had heard something so beautifully soulful and sad. Once the beat began, she found her head nodding along. She was transported to a world of raw emotion and tight harmony, brought to her by The Fugees. She didn't know it at the time, but "Killing Me Softly" would become her new favorite song.

* * *

She was brought out of her musical trance by the smell of coffee. Her eyes snapped open and she looked around the Clubhouse. Lauren was working on some sort of foodstuff over the stove as Bo rubbed her lower back in slow, adoring circles. Cal smiled as she watched the two of them; she could see the love, the contentment, the devotion between them. Her smile fell as she remembered the struggle yet to come.

She pulled the buds out of her ears. "What's for breakfast?"

"Bacon, eggs, and toast." Bo turned her attention toward her houseguest. "Lauren is quite the cook."

Cal sighed happily. "Sounds heavenly. I can't remember the last time I ate, actually."

"How are you enjoying the music?" Lauren raised an eyebrow as she looked at Cal.

Slightly embarrassed, she exited iTunes and closed the laptop. "Sorry... I needed something to distract from... things."

"It's no problem." Lauren's attention returned to the stove, but an amused smirk remained.

"Oh. My. GOD." Kenzi stumbled into the living room and steadied herself on the couch. "Do you guys have any idea how loud you can be?!"

Bo's expression was pure love for her bestie. "Lauren's cooking, Kenz!"

"Mmmm, a silver lining." Kenzi dropped onto the sofa, crashing into Cal without warning. "Sorry newbie; mama has a hangover."

Cal closed the laptop and clasped her arms around Kenzi's torso. "No worries, маленький друг. Let's get you some breakfast." She dragged her to the kitchen island and plopped her on a stool.

"Since when am I your 'little friend,' time-lady?" Kenzi held onto the stool for dear life. She didn't have the energy to process Cal's ability to speak Russian.

"Oh, you'll see." Against her better nature, Cal couldn't help but be a tad cryptic. She felt very connected to the Sunshine Gang after her hours of Trance. It was ill-advised, but she found herself becoming comfortable with the people that surrounded her; a new experience.

* * *

"Mmmm, Doc, I missed your cooking." Kenzi groaned happily into her eggs. "No one can poach an egg like The Lauren."

The doctor smiled her appreciation as she sipped her coffee. "Anything for my biggest culinary fan."

"I'm the last one to want to break up a 'love-fest' between you two, but I think we need to address something with Cal." Bo walked over to the coffee table, grabbed the smaller of Cal's mysterious books, and laid it in the middle of the breakfast feast. "What is this?" Her eyes bore into Cal's.

"I honestly don't know." Cal didn't know what else to say. "Really, I have no idea what it is, or what it says."

Bo repressed the frustration that swelled in her chest. "But you have it, Cal. You have it, and you almost died to protect it from that other Epoch. Why?"

"I don't know." Cal held Bo's gaze; she knew to do otherwise would be a sign of weakness. "I found it. Took it. Whatever. I knew it was important, significant, and I needed to figure out why. So I took it. I haven't had a chance to figure out what it means. The words... the symbols... they're nothing I've ever seen before."

"May I take a closer look?" Lauren had a hunch, but she needed to see the book before she knew if her instincts were right. "Wedge shapes... Cal, have you studied many human languages?"

"Only the ones I need to speak. I grew up speaking Pictish, learned Gaelic, then Latin, and eventually English. Russian and German became necessary as well. Why?" Cal felt a surge of excitement; the human doctor was on to something.

"This looks like Cuneiform to me, but I can't be certain."

"Wait, I actually remember that one." Bo's posture straightened in excitement "That's the language of the Sumerians!"

Lauren tilted her head and grinned happily at Bo. "Yes. Exactly! Looks like _someone_ was paying attention in history class."

Bo grinned mischievously. "I had a hot teacher."

"Mmm, I bet..."

"Oh knock it off you two! I would like to keep my eggs and bacon _inside_ my stomach, thank-you-very-much." Kenzi groaned in a pseudo-sarcastic tone. She had made peace with Lauren a long time ago, and she was just glad to see her BoBo happy.

"So, how do we translate it?" Cal bit her lip, hoping the human doctor would have more insight.

Lauren considered the options. "I could send it to a professor friend of mine... But he's human. We don't know what kind of information this little book has. The best bet would be for one of us to translate it." Her gaze fell to Kenzi.

"Moi?!" Kenzi's eyes were wide with surprise. "Is the good doctor asking _Kenzi_ for a consult?!"

"Yes." Lauren laughed lightly. "I've heard all about your high school exploits. If I remember correctly, you were the 'Queen of Code' ?"

Kenzi sniffed haughtily. "Well, if my services are required..." She snatched the book off the table and headed to her room.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"I gots to change, Bobo! Then I'm off to The Dal. I've got some de-crypting to do!" Kenzi sauntered up the stairs, playing up her importance. "But, I should look _fabulous_ doing it!"

Before she could reply, Bo's cell phone rang, followed almost instantly by Lauren's.

"Yeah?" Bo answered as Lauren said "Dr. Lewis."

Bo's eyes flicked to Lauren, self-conscious, before her expression softened. "Hey there. What's up?"

"Oh my..." Lauren's brow furrowed as she stared into space. "I see. I understand. I'll be right there."

"You're sure?" Bo's gaze flicked to Cal as her expression changed to guarded worry. "Yeah, I'll bring her with me. I'm on my way."

Cal looked from Lauren to Bo, confused by the sudden seriousness that had gripped them.

"Something's happened..." Bo began, not knowing how to continue.

"There's been a death. Likely a murder." Lauren put it as delicately as she could. She glanced at Bo, both understanding that they had received calls about the same thing.

"We're sorry," Bo tried to be sympathetic, but she knew there was a job to do, a crime to solve. "but you're going to need to come with us. It looks like the victim is... well, was... an Epoch."


	6. A Twist of Faete: Chapter 6

A/N: Hello everyone! I'm trying to get us into the thick of things now. The crew is going to start learning more about things, slowly but surely.

How about that last episode, eh? ;) I keep hearing that the next one up is Zoie Palmer's favorite; so it's bound to be interesting.

As always, I beg for feedback! I read each review lovingly (a glass of wine, a bubble bath, romantic music playing in the background). This is for my own creative purpose, of course, but it is nothing without happy readers!

* * *

Cal's heart hammered in her chest as Bo pulled up to an alley in the arena district of the city. Yellow police tape roped off an alley, separating the crime scene from the rest of the oblivious world. Dyson looked up as they approached. He caught another detective's attention and motioned toward the yellow muscle car. She saw him crouch next to a blonde woman. _The good doctor made excellent time... _Although, Cal had the sneaking suspicion that Bo took the long way to buy her some time.

"Thanks for bringing her, Bo." Cal reluctantly tore her eyes away from the alley to focus on the man in front of her. "If D-man's right about this whole Epoch thing, she may be the only one who can give us an ID."

"Sure, yeah. Hale, this is Cal. I know you two haven't met. Hale is a friend of ours, and Dyson's partner." Cal gave a neutral nod and focused again on the alley.

"Why do you think the victim is an Epoch?" Cal squinted and bit her lip. "It's not like we tattoo it on our foreheads."

Hale pulled an evidence bag out of his pocket and handed it to Cal. Inside was a gold pocket watch, almost identical to her own. She flipped it open through the plastic to confirm.

"And the _Libro_? Where is it?" She handed the watch back to Hale, again watching the small commotion in the alley. She couldn't get a good look at what, or rather, _who_ was lying on the filthy pavement.

"The only other thing we found was a backpack. Ripped open, probably with a knife. It's empty." Hale hesitated, he hated this next part. "We need you to help ID the victim."

Cal gave him a curt nod and took a deep breath. She had seen death before; this should be no different.

As she dipped under the police tape, she saw an enormous amount of blood covering the ground. It was clear that whatever had happened had been brutal. Lauren had covered the body, leaving only the face exposed.

Cal's breath hitched as she looked at the scene before her. "That's Magda. You're right, she's... she was an Epoch. A good one." She chewed on the inside of her cheek, fighting the swell of emotion in her chest. "I want to see the rest of her."

Lauren hesitated, Cal didn't look a day over twenty, she had hoped to shield her from the brunt of the violence. She would do the same for Kenzi. "Are you sure? It's not something someone so young should have to see."

As Cal's gaze locked with hers, Lauren suddenly had the impression that she was looking into the soul of a very old being. She saw years of pain and loss reflected in the girl's green eyes. "I'm a lot older than I look, doctor. I've seen more than you could comprehend. Please, let me see what happened to her."

Nodding, Lauren gently pulled the sheet back to reveal a grisly sight. Magda's torso was riddled with angry stab wounds. It was difficult to determine where one ended and the other began. As Cal looked closer, she could see bruising at the dead woman's neck. A lock of light blonde hair lay on the pavement next to her.

"How did this happen?" Cal looked at Dyson, anger slowly building in her gut.

"We think she was yanked into the alley by her hair. Then, there was a bit of a struggle. Lauren found defensive wounds on her arms." Dyson hesitated before continuing. "It looks like her killer had her by the throat against the wall, and inflicted multiple stab wounds, causing her to bleed out."

"It would have been fairly quick." Lauren interjected gently.

Cal nodded numbly. She felt a hand squeeze her shoulder. As she looked behind her, she found Bo's eyes full of sadness.

Dyson cleared his throat. "Is there anything else you can tell us about her? Anything that would help the investigation?"

A harsh laugh tore through Cal. "Investigation? Are you serious?"

"Yeah, we're dead serious." Hale puffed his chest out slightly as he stood next to his partner. "We want to find whoever did this. Was she Light? Dark? Where was she from?"

"She was Dark, not that it matters. Epochi don't exactly abide by the Laws. And it doesn't matter where she was from. We don't live on this plane. Where she was born is irrelevant. We leave our old lives behind when we contract with the Moirai."

"Shit. Out of our jurisdiction then." Dyson shook his head and scratched at his beard. "So you're Dark too then?"

"I told you, it doesn't matter. But no, I'm Light. And if it helps with your 'jurisdiction' business, I'm about 90% sure that the man who came after me is the one that did this."

"How can you be sure?" Bo stepped around to study Cal's face.

She looked at the succubus warily. She had already revealed far too much about her kind to these fae.

"We only want to help, really." Bo smiled encouragingly.

Cal sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Fine, but do we have to do this here?"

"No, no of course not. We'll go to The Dal." Bo motioned toward her car. "You coming?" She addressed Lauren, Dyson, and Hale collectively.

The detectives nodded and relinquished control of the crime scene to a uniformed officer nearby.

"I'll catch up with you later." Lauren smiled softly at Bo. "I need to do a proper autopsy. Once I'm done at the Dark medical facility, I'll be by."

"I will never get used to the doc playing both sides." Hale shook his head in disbelief.

Dyson shrugged stiffly. "She's too valuable a resource to be kept by one side. The Light and Dark agreeing to contract her as a freelance consultant was a good move."

"Ha! Wow, did that hurt just now? Sounds like that hurt." Hale grinned at his grumpy friend.

Dyson smiled in spite of himself. "It's the truth."

* * *

Cal took a long swig of ale. She considered the faces gathered around the table carefully. As a human, Kenzi was fairly harmless. She felt as if she could trust Bo, and even Dyson. For all of his gruffness, the wolf was a steadfast figure. She was uneasy about Hale, not knowing enough about him to gauge his intentions. That left Trick. Cal felt an uneasiness grip her as she looked at the Blood King. She wanted to refuse his presence, but knew that would not be a possibility. The others trusted him implicitly. She was not prepared to divulge _everything_ about herself in order to be relieved of his company.

"I am certain that Magda's killer was my attacker for a simple reason: only an Epoch can find another Epoch. We aren't very obvious; we wouldn't be effective if we were. It's incredibly difficult to track our movements. You have to be attuned to the flow of time, and even then it's pretty much impossible." Cal looked around at the confused looks that surrounded her.

"Ok, imagine a radio. Basically, only a time-attuned fae would even be able to detect our signal, like a really faint radio station. But they would only get the most faint signal, for a split second. Another Epoch, though, can pick that station out of the static and focus on it. When we enter a time, we create a slight disturbance, but it's so minute that no one picks up on it but us. Does that make sense?"

"Dude, your analogies are pretty tight." Kenzi nodded and lifted her beer to salute Cal.

"So we know the how, but we don't know the why." Bo tapped the table impatiently. "Was Magda working with you? Ya know, on this big mystery project of yours?"

Cal shook her head. "No, I mean, not that I know of. I suppose it's possible. We were friends. But I hadn't told anyone about it. It was too dangerous."

"But you're certain that this man, this other Epoch-"

"Caius." Cal cut Bo off. "His name is Caius."

"Why didn't you mention this earlier?!" Dyson smacked the table in frustration. "What else haven't you told us? Any other pieces of information that are _crucial_ to our investigation?"

Cal rolled her eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you that an investigation is useless? You can't find him! You're tracking skills are no good here. You didn't need to know his name until now."

"Ok, you're sure that Caius was after both of you?" Bo tried to ask delicately, shooting Dyson a warning glare. They needed Cal to be open with them.

Cal took a deep breath and shrugged. "It's the only thing that makes any sense. We aren't all best friends, or anything, but Epochi tend to be pretty tight knit. There aren't a lot of us. We're rare to begin with, and then only a handful of us get called by the Fates. Caius is one of the oldest. He may be THE oldest, I'm not sure. He kept to himself, so I don't know that much about him. I know he was born in Rome, during the Republic, and he's Light, but that's about it."

Bo could tell Cal was getting agitated. "What about Magda, can you tell me about her?"

Cal held Bo's gaze, knowing the succubus was only trying to diffuse the situation. "Magda was fairly new. She had only been with us for about 150 years. Give or take."

Kenzi's eyes widened. "New? 150 years is new? How freakin' old are you?"

Cal couldn't help but crack a smile. "Pretty damn old. But see, we stop aging all together when we contract with the Moirai. It's a pretty good deal. Anyway, Magda joined us about the time Bismarck came to power."

Both Kenzi and Bo gave her blank stares. "You know, Otto von Bismarck?" Nothing.

Trick rolled his eyes as Dyson and Hale smirked at their friends. "Oh come on! These guys are fae and they know who Bismarck was!"

Cal sighed and shook her head. "Human and human-raised, and they don't know a lick of history. Typical. _Anyway._ Bismarck was extremely important, he united Germany into the Second Reich and served as Chancellor until the late 1800 something. 1880? 1890? Well, regardless, Magda was Austrian-born and my German was pretty good. I was assigned as her mentor. We were tasked to watch the whole Bismarck versus Kaiser Wilhelm situation. She was a natural. After that, she was instrumental in keeping the German side of things under control during the World Wars. I stayed British side of things. Our heritage often dictates our assignments."

"Why are the Fates so concerned with human wars?" Kenzi couldn't believe what she was hearing. The fae usually liked to pretend humans didn't exist. "Also, you totally don't sound British."

"They weren't just human wars, Kenzi." Trick spoke up before Cal could answer. "Whether the fae like it or not, our world is closely tied to the human world. Often when one of us goes to war, we both go to war. There have been fae on either side of each major conflict in history. Usually it is a clash of Light and Dark."

"Which side was team Nazi?" Kenzi wasn't sure she actually wanted to know the answer.

"Both, honestly." Cal gripped her mug tightly. "For the fae, it wasn't so much an ideological struggle as it was a geographical one. Most of them didn't give a toss about what was happening to humans. They just saw an opportunity to grow their own territories. That's the way it always is, though."

Bo perked up a bit. "You care about humans?"

"Of course." Cal was a bit indignant. "As an instrument of Fate, I'm bound to protect the destiny of all living things. I don't see us as Light or Dark, or as Human or Fae. I see us as creatures that have to share life's tapestry."

Bo beamed, not noticing the dark look that passed over Trick's face. "That's all well and good, but we must return to the task at hand." He didn't like where Cal's opinions were leading them. "How do we stop Caius from coming after Cal and endangering us all?"

The table fell silent, no one knowing the answer.

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance."

A tall man, dressed in a black suit with a red tie and matching turban appeared by the bar. "I don't have much time Cal. But you need to know that you're safe. If I stay much longer you won't be..."

"Ranjit, what are you talking about? How... how did you find me? Can you take me back?" Cal scrambled out of her chair toward him.

"No." He held out a hand to stop her and shook his head sadly. "Caius has betrayed us. You are no longer connected to the Fates, but that, as it turns out, is a good thing. He can't see you in this time. Which is why I must leave. If I linger, he will follow me here. He does not yet suspect that I know."

"But Ranjit..."

"I will come back at a later time to explain more. Stay safe. And that book you stole, the human one. It is of vital importance. You must keep it from him at all costs."

With that, Ranjit took out a gold pocket watch, turned the crown, and was gone in an instant. Cal felt like she had been punched in the gut. She was so close to going home and then...

"Holy balls, was that another Epoch!?" Kenzi's voice cut through Cal's thoughts. "What the fae is going on? It be raining freaking time-dudes up in here!"


End file.
